Step 3: Outlining the goals of your mobile app
Setting well-defined goals is an indispensable part of the mobile app development journey.
It is at this point that you will set your priorities and determine a clear course of action for the next several weeks or months. These goals will tell you where you are currently, where you want to be and how to get there.
What are the primary goals of your mobile app? How do you know if the goals you are setting are the right ones?
Here are a few tips that might come in handy when outlining your mobile app development goals.
First, list the three or four most important ways your ideal users will interact with your app. Make sure these goals are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound) and in line with your overall business objectives.
Second, spend half a day brainstorming the actions that users will perform within the app at launch. Through this exercise, your goal is to map out what the user journey is within the app, the primary use-cases and what you want your ideal users to achieve when they interact with your product.
Examples of these actions would be defining the registration process (or lack of!), the primary action you want the user to take within the app, high level notifications strategy, whether a user will use a geolocation feature or not etc.
Next up, you have to define the KPIs to measure the success of these goals.
In simple terms, what actions will users take within the app that you will consider a success? This could be things like making a purchase, completing a task, returning to the app X times during a specific time period, engage with your content. Here’s a simple formula to follow: ‘My ideal customer will do this task, so many times during the week. If that happens, this app is a success.”
In addition, you need to define specific metrics you need to track. Let’s take a specific example. Say you are an online shop and have launched a mobile app. Yes, you’ll want to track conversion rates (how many purchases are made through the app).
But there’s a LOT of other metrics out there you should also track.
Things like:
How often do people use the app?
How many app visits until a purchase is made?
When do people abandon your app?
How many people download the app but don’t register?
What’s my app churn rate (people who don’t use the app over a period of time)?
There’s an endless supply of questions – and analytics – you need to track users’ actions and collect data about their behavior inside your app.
Other standard KPIs include app open rate, uninstalls, session rates, monthly active users (MAU), daily active users (DAU), number of unique new users, daily/monthly downloads, session length, and so forth.
Lastly but not least, take a peek over the fence. Take a closer look at the great mobile app in the market (preferably within your niche), and learn what and how they do things well.
Here’s a simple example of a task we do during the discovery process at Digital Authority Partners when we get a new customer who wants to build an app.
We simply identify the main competitors and then have an analysts review 50-100 app reviews for each competitor.
We then create a report which shows what competitors do well, what they don’t do at all and what they can improve on. That report is then used to define the set of features our client should include in their new app.
Step 4: Brainstorm the primary app use cases and ideal user types
Once you have documented the primary goals of your app, start defining the primary use cases for your new app. Use cases are great for user engagement and overall usability.
Don’t try to define EVERY single use case imaginable. Start with the primary goals only.
Let’s take the Starbucks mobile app as an example. The primary use cases for the Starbucks app are the following:
- Starbucks users can quickly pay using their app in store.
- Starbucks users can order on their app and pick up in store.
- Starbucks users can monitor & redeem rewards using the app.
- Starbucks users can be notified of upcoming deals and discounts via the app.
Of course, the Starbucks app does a LOT more than this (see purchase history, listen to Spotify playlists curated by Starbucks, see rewards history, learn about new Starbucks drinks, add money to their app, manage gift cards, find stores, receive/ buy Starbucks cards as gifts etc).
But what’s important to realize is that the primary use cases outlined above are clear, actionable, easy to understand. And all other features are built to support the primary purchasing experience.
That said, do not clutter the app with everything for everyone. Rather, build it for a specific set of use cases meant for a specific group of people and perfect those.
Here’s the holy grail behind expert mobile app development initiatives. You build an app which your ideal users can make a mental connection to, a connection that is simple and memorable. Practically, you want a user to think this: ‘I go to this app to do this one thing, any time I need it.’
The most successful apps ALL do this. I go to Candy Crash to decompress for a few minutes. I go to Uber to get a ride. I go to Amazon to buy stuff. I go to Snapseed to quickly edit my photos. I go to Grubhub to order good. I go to Facebook to see what my friends are up to. I go to TikTok to see some super short videos and have fun.
Do you see how a mental connection is made, in my mind, in relation to the apps mentioned above? And guess what – all these apps have tens of millions of users. Because they’ve successfully created a mental association between one task and their app. And everything else builds on top of that primary use case!
So apply this recipe to your own mobile app. Determine which users will be your primary audience and solve one primary problem they may have.
Additionally, invest time in creating app user segmentation. In other words, various users will do different things within your app based on their motivation, frequency of using the app and a LOT of other factors.
How to segment your app users (high level ideas)
A unique article can be created only on the topic of app user segmentation. That’s not the point of the current article. So look at the various user app segmentation as being just a quick way to look at users and by no means, a comprehensive list.
App segmentation is one of the primary strategies tied to mobile app analytics. If you are interested in the topic of app analytics, you can also check out the other resources we’ve put together over time.
User Experience Optimization Through A/B and Multivariate Testing
The 2021 Mobile App Marketing Guide with 25 Pro Tips
And you can also check out the Analytics Services Page from Digital Authority Partners here. It must also be noted that app segmentation is not something that can ‘happen’ overnight or something that is typically an out of the box functionality. Instead, companies and entrepreneurs need to leverage analytics solutions that can collect and report on these metrics. Digital Authority Partners is a certified partner for analytics solutions like Mixpanel (see our joint press release here) and Amplitude.
In the meantime, here are four standard metrics tied to app user segmentation you should keep a close eye on:
By device info
You can segment users based on device details such as the type (tablet, smartphone, etc), OS version (iOS, Android or Windows), and the type of hardware (Samsung S10, iPhone XS, etc.) This is a crucial segmentation criteria because user experience and app engagement rates typically vary from device to device.
By geographical location
This is a no-brainer segmentation approach.
You’d want to drill down on your users’ behavior based on their geographical information like country, city, town, zip code area, state, and so forth. This is will be especially useful if you intend to offer location-specific features and functionalities.
By user info
Who’s your app’s audience? How’d you categorize them on available information? Are they attendees, visitors, employees, consumers, members, fans, leads, partners, B2B clients, B2C customers, etc.
Don’t just stop there.
Specific app usage information like language setting, use frequency, if they have enable push notification, etc can come in handy when segmenting global audience.
By user behavior
How users interact with your app should be at the core of your mobile app strategy.
What is the average session duration for your users?
How many days does the user take between opening, making a purchase, etc.?
What do users tap on within your app?
How long does it take until a user converts?
How do users react when you release updates to your app?
Better user segmentation translates into a better app and better marketing strategy. Think of this section as planning how to engage users. There will be another section on how to actually engage them.
The questions above, by no means exhaustive when it comes to app analytics, related to specific tangible behaviors user can exhibit within an app. Asking these – and many other questions – upfront and setting us the right tracking to turn data into insights is absolutely mandatory if you want your app to succeed.
Step 5: Have a clear grasp on your app’s monetization model
An app cannot succeed unless it becomes self-sustaining. And to become self-sustaining, it needs to make money.
So, the bigger question is: how will you monetize your app when most users are used to free apps?
A proper monetization model is critical to ensure the long term longevity of the app.
When all is said and done, however, your monetization strategy should take two things into consideration:
- User intent
- Your users’ journey using your app
Here at Digital Authority Partners, we rarely advise clients to force users to pay to download the app. This model MAY work for some games, but it rarely works for everyone else.
Creating a sound monetization strategy is a fine balancing act to ensure the app makes optimal revenue while not pushing away potential users by becoming too expensive.
With that said, there are several different monetization models you can adopt. The most common and revenue-generating models include:
Model #1. Pay per download
Image above: Vizztwig HD Classic, an app that charges users before it can be downloaded.
Let’s face it; paid downloads is a monetization approach that only works for highly sought-after mobile apps.
The idea behind this model is pretty simple and straightforward: whenever a user downloads your app, they will part with a fee which is often upfront or paid after a free trial period ends.
This is the easiest and the least complicated way to earn from your sweat.
After all, the higher the fee and the more the paid downloads made, the more your app revenue.
Needless to say, pricing the app wrongly can impact negatively on the number of downloads and hence revenue.
Check out this report from Forbes. It may be a bit outdated, but I really doubt things have changed much. According to this 2013 analysis of paid apps (those you need to pay for BEFORE downloading it), the average total revenue per app on Android is $1,125 and for iOS is $4,000.
In contrast, check out this report regarding revenue from Candy Crush, one of the top freemium apps in the world. Candy Crush is free for all to play but they charge for upgrades and special powers. They made 1 billion dollar in 2018.
To put this in perspective, in the paid app report above, all Android developers in 2013 made a combined 900 million in revenue. Last year, one single app, Candy Crush, made more money through a freemium model than ALL Android developers.
Freemium model is ALWAYS preferred.
Model #2. Ad revenue
This is the go-to monetization model for most app developers, and with good reason.
In-app ad revenue is a great way to keep your app free for the users and still remain afloat.
You just to be careful about what types of ads you run in your app. Generally, there are 3 types of in-app ads for generating revenue: (1) Cost per Action (CPA), Cost per Click (CPC) and Cost per Thousand Impression (CPM).
If you are looking for UX-friendly ad type, go for CPM.
While the revenue tends to be on the lower end, CPM ads are usually less intrusive and not annoying, offering a better user experience.
You can choose to run native ads, banner ads, interstitials or list ads. Whatever your choice, stay away from lewd, irrelevant or low-quality ads that will paint your app in a bad light.
Here’s an example of an app which has implemented an ad revenue model BETTER than any app I currently use.
It is a puzzle game called Two Dots. Two dots, in many ways is similar to Candy Crush and all Candy Crush wannabes. Occasionally (definitely not every time!) before the beginning of a specific level I get this message:
I’m referring to the message which says: ‘watch a video for a free Booster Box!’
If I tap on that button, I have to watch an annoying ad, usually less than 30 seconds, but I get a power-up. I’ve probably watch hundreds of these short ads so far. As a user, I get something tangible out of this. As a company, Two Dots likely makes 5-10 cents of me. It’s not huge revenue, but they are making money. According to one estimate, Two Dots makes ~700k / month through this model and through the in-app purchase options.
Model #3. Freemium features – upgrade to use premium feature or to remove ads
An ad seen on the app called Browser which allows users to surf the internet in private mode and download any video from youtube and other video storage websites. Every time a user returns to the app, an ad is played as seen in this screenshot.
This monetization model usually goes hand in hand with the in-app ad model.
The freemium model is simple.
A user can download a mobile app for free but the user would see ads interrupting their experience from time to time. You can happily get rid of the ads in their apps for a small fee. If you intend to go down this road, you will have to create at least two versions of your app. First one will feature ads and free to use. The other one will be a paid version that’s free of ads (this is what developers call a premium app).
Model #4. In-app purchases
Above, a screenshot of in-app purchase options for Candy Crush Saga
In-app purchases account for the biggest portion of app revenue. In fact, it accounts for around 47 percent of the worldwide revenue generated from apps.
The good thing is that the in-app purchase feature can be incorporated with other monetization models like paid downloads, in-app ads, etc.
Model #5. Affiliate programs
Joining an affiliate program to promote network products, services or solutions is yet another great way to monetize your app.
There are plenty of credible app affiliate programs run by companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Google.
These are usually the ones that’ll pay you handsome money to promote an array of apps, but there are smaller affiliate programs you can join and rake in some income too.
The idea behind this monetization model is that you’ll earn a recurring commission when the user takes an action.
Model #6. Hybrid
If one or more monetization approaches deliver good results, why not combine the best of their worlds?
That’s right; you can create a hybrid monetization strategy that may bring revenue-generating ways like in-app purchases, mobile marketing automation, freemium features, affiliation and so forth under one roof.
Parting Shot: building a free app might be an amazing idea because the long-term ROI would be incredibly high. That said, you need to plan to stay afloat before the app becomes profitable and it is equally important that you have a strong marketing strategy and budget right from day one.
Section B: Getting to business – planning
Once you’ve decided your ideal target audience, outlined the overall mobile app strategy and decided on a robust monetization model and analytics framework, the real fun is about to begin. You are now in a position to make tactical yet incredibly powerful decisions around actually building the app.
Step 6: Determine the framework of the app
When you are ready to get down to business, you ought to plan for the quickest turnaround possible.
That’s why determining the framework and planning your app make for the most important steps in the mobile app development process. There are several basic steps to doing so:
Decide which platform is right for you
Right from the start, you have to decide if you are going to build an Android app only, iOS app only, Windows app only, two or all three. Hint, virtually no one build a Windows app anymore.
The kind of platform you are building the app for will determine several elements of your final product, including features to include, how to optimize user experiences, how to monetize, and how to structure your pre-launch marketing campaigns.
Your use cases will also determine which kind of app you will need to build.
For example, what if you are an e-commerce store?
It’s a smart move to build apps for at least iOS and Android to cater to the largest percentage of the smartphone user population.
Native or hybrid?
You’ll also have to decide if your app will be native, 3rd-party, carrier-specific or hybrid. This decision will have a huge bearing on the number and the type of functionality you will eventually incorporate into your app.
Hybrid versus native is a discussion for another time and it fully deserves its own article. However, high level, here’s the main differences.
Native apps are faster (better performance) and easier to discover in the app store. They can fully leverage a smartphone’s native features (geo-location, camera, address book etc) and easily work in an offline mode (when you lose reception). That said, they’re more expensive because they have completely different code bases between iOS and Android. They have better security and better user experience.
Hybrid apps are cheaper to build, leverage one code base across iOS and Android but continue to have difficulties fully leveraging native components on a smartphone. On the other hand, the time to market is significantly faster to make.
There’s a lot of pros and cons to both approaches and it all comes down to one thing: what’s the most important key performance indicator when you’re launching the app to market. That should drive the decision on what kind of app to build.
Plan your technology stack
At this stage, you should brainstorm with your team on the array of mobile app development technologies that will be leveraged to build your app.
This way, you can plan the technology stack that will ensure maximum return on investment while an eye on the future.
While SDK tools offered by app stores might come in handy, they can be a little restrictive which is why you need to think about a set of scalable technology that will allow you to build a seamless app for all target devices and platforms.
How will they help integrate your app with both public and private cloud servers?
But most importantly, the technology stack is the backbone of your entire app because everything else you will build for this app will fall on the decisions made when choosing the tech stack.
Having a great team here cannot be underestimated. This is actually where we see most issues with clients who come to us asking for a ‘quick fix’ for their app. Code codes that look like spaghetti code, complex and unsustainable APIs. Great technology stacks and app architectures are neatly organized, well built and modular. Horrible tech stacks are convoluted, make no sense and have no documentation you can reference when trying to make sense of it.
So take the time and work with a development team that understand app architecture well. Trust me, if you don’t, you will pay tenfold later.
Plan your app data strategy
What sets of data do you plan to collect when the app hits the App Store?
Remember, no app can be a do-all solution.
That’s why you need to know which data will be made available through your app right off the bat.
After all, including too much data into a single app can be a huge mistake in terms of sustenance, functionality, and user experience. They can be especially hard to navigate and security a diversity of user-provided data can also become quite tricky.
In addition, it’s not enough to know which data will be available on your app, you will have to decide how you will protect and leverage this information in your crucial business decisions and app improvement.
Have a data handling strategy planned right out of the block.
Step 7: Working with the right team
When it comes to mobile app development, you are only as good as the team around you. That’s why it is very important to round up a team of top-notch app designers, developers, strategists, and other key experts who will ensure your product will not only stand out but also take the market by storm.
The right team can make, while the wrong team will break it.
Remember that people are key to mobile app development.
Most importantly, you need to collaborate and hire people who know what they are doing.
Who to include in your team?
There are some positions that are indispensable when it comes to developing a killer app.
At a minimum, your team should include talented mobile developers to code, product managers to lead the way for the team and drive the vision/strategy of the app into reality, and designers to create the app’s UI and spruce up the UX.
That being said, here are some factors that will help you zero in on team members who will certainly do a bang-up job:
Start with the skill set that’s right for your app and target market
Choose the people with the right skills that will position the app for a long time success.
While there are myriads of skills that make for a great app development team, here are the topmost ones to keep in mind:
UX/UI – User experience and user interface are two key elements will wow and amaze your users or disappoint them – usually, there’s very little in between.
If the UI and UX of your app are shoddy, you will definitely have a tough time finding or retaining users.
That’s why you need team members who are UX/UI-focused. The people who know what it takes to craft a truly user-friendly app.
Product management – This is a skill that will help transform your ideas into an incredibly lovable app. This member will act as a liaison between all the stakeholders involved in building the app, the proverbial jack of all traders. A development team without a product manager will falter along the way when issues like conflicts of interest, changing priorities, lack of direction and strategy.
Scrum management – any agile team needs a scrum manager. This is especially important for situations where there’s a lot of back and forth between various team members and the development team. The scrum master also acts as your default project manager, shepherding the project along the way and making sure everything is done on time and on budget.
Design – Your app will be going up against remarkable beautiful and easy to use apps on the app market. That’s why you need A-level designers to take care of the feel and look of the app.
Business analysis – Creating an actionable mobile app strategy requires great business analysis skills. This person will put the app vision into perspective and help map your objectives into development roadmap for the development team. This team member will also spend a lot of his or her time on market research, competitive analysis, feature set documentation and much more.
QA testing – Testing your app several times during the development and final phase will help deliver a truly market-ready product. That’s why you need experts who are conversant with industry standards of QA testing.
Technical app development skills – these are the most important ones to take into consideration. After all, it is a team of developers/coders who will actually hammer out the app. Good developers are well versed in modern coding languages, cloud infrastructure, cross-platform skills, data integration, cloud integration, security integration, and much more.
Who will build your app?
Decide if the app is to be built in-house or by working with an external vendor. Whichever road you choose, be sure to do due diligence before putting together your team or contracting an external vendor.
Step 8: Define the product roadmap and detailed requirements
A strategically built product lasts forever.
And a mobile app will only be successful if it has a well-planned product roadmap.
This is a plan which maps out both the short term and long term goals of your app.
More specifically, your product roadmap will help define your app vision, as well as act as a blueprint for the execution of your mobile app development strategy.
In most cases, the roadmap will help clarify the overall app development strategy to vendors, investors, clients, and other key stakeholders.
Once you have your goals set, you can easily create a product roadmap. Ensure that your goals are clearly defined and easily measurable, which means that you need to have some metrics and KPIs in place.
Let’s quickly talk about minimum viable product
What is the minimum viable product (MVP)? Is it good enough to pique users’ interest? That’s exactly what a good product would help you achieve.
A minimum viable product refers to a set of features and functionalities that are enough to make your app successful at launch. An MVP is manageable, realistic and only covers features you simply cannot go to production without.
In other words, the MVP should be structured in such a way that it helps you build only the app features most closely aligned with your primary objectives and goals.
In addition, your definition of MVP should be data-centric.
An app-driven MVP roadmap delivers better outcomes. Implementing the right data analytics will help you establish your team’s success right from the outset.
For your MVP, it would be wise to focus on a small set of essential metrics.
Your final product, however, should encompass metrics like UX, featured usage, customer churn, user retention, UX, adoption rates, and product quality, just to mention a few.
Section C: Bringing the concept to life – and executing it
If you have reached this point, and done everything we covered in this article so far, then you’re in an amazing shape.
I will let you in on a little secret.
The eight steps above are the single most difficult and nerve-wrenching part of building an app. And by default, the most important.
Everything else we talk about below is a breeze to execute if the previous eight steps were done correctly.
Let’s carry on with the ‘fun part’ of building an app
Step 9: Mobile app designs that wow users
The usability and design of the app will either make users come back to your app or make them uninstall the app right after the first use.
There are many things to keep in mind when designing an app that’ll resonate well with the end user.
Great apps are not complex to use. In fact, far from it.
They are easy and simple to use.
But simple design is the toughest form of design. Nonetheless, that should be your goal first and foremost.
Try to imagine why you want to design the app and why you are looking to achieve.
What exactly do you want your app to look like and do?
How will you ensure that your app will pique the user’s interest?
What’s the solution do you want to offer with your app?
How will your app stand out in terms of design?
Determine the style of your app. Work with your creative team on the design guidelines that fully align with goal of your app. Go for a style that will help your app set itself apart from the rest.
In addition, keep cognitive loads to a minimum. Remember that the user’s brain has a limited processing power and you shouldn’t subject them to cognitive or information overload (by which you mean your users will become easily frustrated if they can’t figure out, at a glance, how to use your app).
This is an area of design that you need to get a handle on to prevent users from being overwhelmed. If they do, they will most likely abandon your app.
Create and test multiple design ideas until there is one that is the right concept. Then build on it. The design process should be all about feedback, refining, and repeat. If you leave your users hanging, you will likely design an app that will be a pain to use.
Step 10: Develop the app
Your app designs is looking great and you’re rocking that invision prototype. Now what? Of course, the next step is to build the actual app.
Start with a prototype to ensure that the app is indeed what was planned. Build the flow that will be most used and test it. Ensure that it is an embodiment of the concept. Once the prototype is successfully tested, move ahead with the full development process.
Be ready to make adjustments quickly as the app starts taking shape.
The later in the development stage, the more complex it becomes to make changes. So, design an app architecture that is flexible, while still being scalable (this goes back to the point above regarding choosing the right technology stack).
Of course, there are a few key mistakes that you need to avoid at all costs to ensure that your app building process is hitch-free:
Not keeping security top of mind
In today’s digital world plagued with data security breaches, you need to build your app with security at the heart of everything. It is a fact of life that hackers and other ill-reputed cyber-criminals will go above and beyond to crack your app.
Does your app have the necessary security framework to be impenetrable? Have TLS, SSL, and AES encryption technology in place to keep your mobile app hacker-proof.
Not building your app with expansion top of mind
The chances are that you are building your app with specific users in mind.
That’s all good, but the actual architecture of your app should be crafted with global audiences in mind. Remember that your app should be built in a way that it easy to scale in order to accommodate growth and expansion.
Step 11: Test, test, then test your app again
Test, test, and test should be your mobile app development mantra.
And let’s be candid – after putting in countless hours of effort and hard work into building a great app, the last thing you want to see is a barrage of negative user reviews and ratings.
You need to come up with a proper app testing strategy and follow it to the dot.
What makes a solid app testing strategy?
Your QA testing strategy should align with a number of your goals, including customer expectations, business goals, the user experience, as well as industry best practices.
It should take care of all aspects of the app, including data requirements battery usage, app speed, memory usage, and so forth.
Be religious about testing the app at every opportunity.
Bugs are one of the top reasons why customers choose to delete apps, or not use them any longer.
In addition, consider all target user personas. Drill your app tests down to the last user. There are several different app user personas, and you need to test for all of them. You will also have to think about technical users, those who speak different languages, different age groups, those with accessibility issues, and so forth.
Keep your tests fresh and data-driven. More importantly, keep updating the text plan to include new test cases and modify older ones as the app keeps evolving.
Furthermore, as a rule of thumb, a great app test should take into account every possible way the user will use the app.
It should also consider unusual use cases. What happens when they swipe with two fingers instead of one, or vice versa? What if a user exits the app by mistake? It is crucial to map your entire mobile app to test every use case/scenario.
In addition, conduct tests on every relevant device.
Once the app is launched, start with alpha and beta testing to ensure the expert users are good with the end product, before launching to the masses.
By the way, there are at least two approaches to after-launch app testing: manual or automated.
Automated app testing is ideal when your app is still in development. However, it can be costly. If that’s an issue for you, manual testing might appeal to your lean budget.
Usability testing – The fundamental functionalities of your app are tested at this point. Usability tests include UI testing, compatibility testing, external factors testing, and ADA compliance testing.
Performance testing is another crucial component of the QA process that you need to conduct to establish how your app stacks in terms of power management, memory use, and scalability.
Finally, don’t forget to perform compliance and security testing. If you are building a telehealth app, for instance; you need to be compliant with a series of industry regulations like HIPAA, HITRUST, ISO, etc. You should also test the security readiness of your app.
Once all the tests are over, you should have a comprehensive and highly detailed report that entails:
- Quality of testing report
- Important info revealed by the tests
- App quality
- Incident report stats
- All types of testing done and time each took
At this point, you should have plenty of insights and information to leverage to improve your app before launch or for the next iteration.
Step 12: Launch, learn and optimize. Have proper support in place
The final step of the mobile app development process is finally here. You are finally ready to deploy it.
This step will ensure that your launch will be a breeze and hassle-free.
Your launch date is not just for building buzz and getting your app on the store. It should provide you with an opportunity to carry out user a plethora of interviews, collect feedback, and get ready for the next step: iteration.
You’ll need a good post-launch strategy and plan. Yes, life after launching your app should be bliss, but that isn’t always the case.
Here’s a checklist for creating an awesome post-launch plan:
Obtain user feedback
The user is king. So, listen carefully to what users are saying, especially about the first impression and use of your app. At this stage, you should ramp up your user ratings and reviews – they are the most valuable and reliable sources of user feedback to help inform your next step.
Gather app data
Churn rate, user satisfaction rate, sales, revenue, the average duration of a user session, daily active users, monthly active users, and the number of installs are some of the data metrics that you need to analyze to get a better understanding of your app usage and acceptance.
Invest in a comprehensive analytics tool
Great analytics tools will allow for the complete monitoring of your app and give a clear picture of how well the app is doing with the target audiences. More crucially, look at and understand the numbers and then take the right steps to optimize the app.
Market, market, market your mobile app
Let everyone know that you have launched a fantastic app. Use all marketing channels and resources your marketing dollars can afford. Strategies like content, SEO, and ASO will cost you virtually nothing yet they deliver great results. If you got to this point, read out comprehensive article on The 2021 Mobile App Marketing Guide with 25 Pro Tips.
Get award-worthy mobile app support
Another pitfall of many apps is minimal or zero support.
Invest in mobile app support.
The better the experience users have after they download your app, the more likely they will be to recommend the app to others.
And support plays a big role in that experience. You should provide users will great support 24/7. This way, you can get your app off the ground on the right foot with the users.
Summary
It is not an impossible task to translate a great idea into a great app. There’s a ton to be said about developing a great app. It’s a very precise job.
There are several pitfalls between an initial concept and when an app becoming successful. But with a proper strategy, the right people, the correct processes, and a clear plan to grow, these pitfalls can be avoided.
These pitfalls can happen at any stage or level of mobile app development, including these top four:
Strategy level: bad/lack of market research, improper planning of execution stages, and lack of clearly defined goals are a few reasons why your app is set to fail right from the strategy level.
Design and software development level: Lack of a robust QA testing strategy, bad app design, back tech stack or improperly implemented technology, and poor execution could kill your app before it is built.
Execution level: Your mobile app can fail at this stage due to a number of reasons, including teams issues when there are conflicting priorities, too much competition/heat from similar apps on the app, cash shortages that make it hard to take your app to the next level, and if you have no clue on how to monetize your app.
Support and marketing level – Having no crystal-clear marketing message, lack or no user ratings/reviews, unclear branding, and lack of differentiation from competitors can plague your app at the support and marketing level.
So, why build an app when the above reasons can be so deterrent? As we have seen in this guide, there are plenty of reasons to build a mobile app. These include the following:
An app can help you increase sales – with 19 percent of retail sales coming from
mobile, an app can help you tap into this increasingly important consumer base. After all, mobile apps deliver 3x more conversions than mobile sites.
Improve customer experiences (UX) – a well-defined app can help you meet your customers where they need you most: mobile. Building a user-friendly app will also improve your customers shopping and purchasing experiences.
Become competitive on the market – 65 percent of SMEs and all big companies already have (or are in the process of building) an app. Build one to stay competitive.
Deliver excellence through another amazing channel – an app is a marketing and sales tool that can do wonders for your customer acquisition, pleasing, loyalty, and retainment.
Better customer engagement – an app with a feedback mechanism, live chat feature, or a help desk, as well as interactive features like push notification, can do wonders for your customer engagement.
Boost recognition and brand awareness – the more users open your app, the more recognizable your app will be. Ensure that your app is stylish and loaded with engaging content to promote your brand and boost credibility and trust.
Building the actual app is no easy walk in the park. As we’ve mentioned above, you need to follow 12 key steps to make the whole process easy and successful.
Step #1. Value proposition – Create a unique value proposition for the app. How is it different from other similar apps, the benefits it will bring to users, how it will make their lives better, etc?
Step #2. Market Research and SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats) Analysis To Determine the viability of your product.
Validate the concept first, then invest in market research before spending a large amount of time and money on building an app. Is the market ready? Who are the top competitors? What are the threats? Once the market data is in, start planning a course of action.
Step #3. Outline your app goals. List the 3-4 most important goals of the app that will determine how users will interact with the app. Next, brainstorm the actions that users will perform within the app. Don’t forget to define the right key performance indicators to measure success, and look at the great apps in the market to learn how they do things well.
Step #4. Brainstorm the primary use cases of your app and which users to target. In doing so, do not clutter the app with everything for everyone. Rather, launch with a specific set of use cases meant for a clearly defined group of people.
Step #5. Create a monetization model. A proper monetization model is critical to ensure the long-term longevity of the app.
Step #6. Determine the framework of the app. At this stage, you need to decide if the app is going to be on iOS, on Android, or both. Also, plan your technology stack to ensure maximum return on investment while keeping an eye on the future.
Step #7. Build the perfect development team. The right team can make the make, the wrong team will break it. Choose product managers, designers, developers, amazing developers, and gifted QA analysts.
Step #8. Define the product roadmap of your app. Don’t forget to define a detailed set of requirements for your app. What is the Minimum Viable Product (MVP)? Is it good enough to pique users’ interest?
Step #9. Design the app. Set proper design goals and keep it easy to use. Apps with great UX design are most likely to get used often.
Step #10. Build the app. Start with a prototype, then build the user flow that will be most used and test it. Once the prototype is successfully tested, move ahead with the full development process. Be ready to make adjustments quickly as the app starts taking shape,
Step #11. Test, test, test. Build a proper app testing strategy and follow it to the dot. More crucially, keep updating the text plan to include new test cases and modify older ones as the app keeps evolving.
Finally … Step #12. Launch the app. Start off by creating a scalable and robust deployment process. Not just that, learn from user feedback and data analytics to optimize your app for usability, performance, etc.
In a nutshell, know your users and cater to their needs. That should be the driving philosophy every app maker adopts.
An app should be built around a user, not the other way round. With the ultimate guide, it is our endeavor to educate people and organizations on how to build an app geared for success.
Not sure if you can do this on your own? No worries. That’s why we are here to help.
